Because telephone service is largely a commodity, consumers often select a calling plan that will result in the least expensive bill at the end of each payment period. As a result, many telephone companies attract and/or maintain its customers by offering a variety of service plans. The plan offerings are usually in the form of per minute rates (sometimes with a monthly fee) and may vary based on other factors, such as the time of day that the call is placed, the length of the individual telephone call, the total amount of time associated with the user's outgoing calls, etc. Customers usually try to get the service that best suits their needs at the lowest rate.
In addition to these basic telephone service plans, many companies offer its customers a service called “dial arounds.” Dial arounds are prefixes (such as “10-10-321” or “10-10-345”) that telephone users may dial which enable them to bypass (or dial around) their preselected long distance carrier. Technically, the prefix serves as a “carrier access code” that enables local telephone carriers to identify and reroute calls to other telephone companies. The dial-around service charges may appear on the telephone bill provided by the local telephone company, just as the charges for the selected long-distance carrier are reported.
In addition to the discounted long distance services and the dial around services described above, companies, by utilizing the internet are enabling users to recognize discounted rates when making telephone calls. Some internet telephone companies, for example, are offering discounted long distance service for under five cents per minute.
Although telephone users desire to take advantage of these discounts, the large number of options available to these consumers makes choosing such a service confusing. Moreover, many consumers often refrain from using such services because most of these discount services require the user to remember and enter a complex multi-digit code (in addition to the actual area code and recipient telephone number) to place a telephone call. For example, the dial arounds often require that a seven digit prefix or access number (in addition to a user identifier access code which may or may not be required) be dialed prior to dialing the eleven digit long distance telephone number. Further, completing a long distance telephone call utilizing one of the existing internet telephone company services often requires that an access telephone number and user identifier be dialed prior to dialing the intended telephone number. Thus, eighteen to thirty numbers or often more may be required to complete a discounted long distance telephone number. Consumers' inability or indifference to remember such prefixes or access telephone numbers results in decrease usage of such services.
In addition to the difficulty in remembering such prefixes and/or access numbers, telephone users often wish to spare themselves of other disadvantages associated with using such services. For example, a telephone user has a greater chance of dialing an incorrect number when as many as twenty seven, and sometimes more, numbers must be entered to place a telephone call. Also, the speed in which a caller is connected to the recipient is reduced when these additional numbers must be entered. Finally, some consumers are embarrassed to use, or to request that other users of their telephone use, such discount services, particularly in light of the hindrances discussed above.